Mary McHugh

This book started out on a humorous note, but then it just seemed to tell things that the author did to try to keep herself young and active. It fell flat for me at that point. I’m not going to tap dance and cruise my way through my senior years (although I have friends who do just that). I felt a lot of what she said was actually advice from others as she quoted many different individuals throughout her short chapters. A few things she said I could identify with although other things I could not because they were merely her own personal choices.… (más)

I love that the author has her finger in so many pies! The mystery was fine, but I loved that a group of women banded together and danced as a way to get free travel. I miss being a part of a women's group. They supported each other and enjoyed being together. The characters are all interesting and very different from each other.

I also give extra points for free education. My ankle is not good now but I would have loved to try out the Flamenco timed step that Gini, the main character this time taught. I really enjoyed the exuberance that the women had for dancing, it brought me back to my days of doing JoBe, African dance!

The author gives photography tips that are outstanding and the recipes sound good. Also, I learned that there is a camera that can be attached to the eyeglasses that will talk to you, for example, point the camera and it will tell you when the light is green, and it read menus to you! I have been in many restaurants where the menus had print too small for me to read so I would love that myself.… (más)

In this 5th book in the Happy Hoofers Mystery series, the girls are joining the Rockettes in New York City for their annual Christmas performance. Set to dance to Santa Claus is Coming to Town in 40 lb big-bellied Santa outfits, the troupe is ready to start daily rehearsals with the famous Rockettes. As usual, a murder puts a bit of a damper on their holiday spirits. Head Rockette Glenna Parsons is found dead under the stage, mangled by machinery. The show must go on, but the Happy Hoofers know the murderer must be found before another dancer falls prey.

This book was an enjoyable, light read. I loved reading about what the Rockettes training is like, and all about the holiday decorations and preparations for their Christmas performance. As usual, the story was a nice blend of humor and light mystery. This book is told from the point of view of Mary Louise (called Weezy by her friends), and she delights in asking restaurants for their recipes. In real life, I think most would say no....but, in this case, they said yes....and the yummy recipes appear at the end of each chapter! :)

I enjoyed the characters for the most part, although Weezy's inability to make a final decision regarding her marriage was a bit frustrating. It was not any fault of the writing or the plot....just my wishing I could somehow jump in there and tell her to make up her mind already! ha! :) She did finally make up her mind...but no spoilers! Read the book to discover her choice -- George or Mike.

This was definitely a fun, quick afternoon read. The recipes are for really yummy dishes like lobster salad, crabcakes, trout and bacon, and pastry shells with caviar.

High Kicks, Hot Chocolate and Homicides releases September 27th!

Mary McHugh has written several other books including How Not to Become A Little Old Lady. Visit her website at www.marymchugh.org.
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In this second "Happy Hoofers Mystery" the ladies are on a train traveling around "Green Spain". The Hoofers are a group of five 50 ladies who love to dance, Gini, Tina, MaryLouise, Pat and Janice. They all have other jobs/professions and do this on the side. They are entertaining on the trip so get a free trip out of the deal.

Gini narrates this story and she is quite the lady. She says what she thinks and this gets her into trouble. When a hated TV host, Shambless, gets killed she is a suspect based on the fact that she said she would like to kill him. Unfortunately because of the murder, the travelers on the train do not get to do and see as much as they had planned as they are stuck on the train during portions of the investigation. The Hoofers get to sneak off to a couple of tourist sites and excellent restaurants as they have made friends with the investigating detective.

When a second murder occurs, things get sticky. Gini wants to investigate if for no other reason than to clear her own name, but also because it is a little scary knowing you are traveling with a murderer. Even in the close quarters of the train, she finds a way to snoop and eavesdropping is pretty easy with everyone so close together. There are many twists before the true culprit is revealed. I did figure out who the culprit was, but was not able to figure out why.

Once again the characters were fun, interacted well with one another and were smart. There were two characters that were disabled in this story, a young man in a wheelchair and a blind man with a guide dog. Through these characters we saw some of their frustrations about accessibility and the way some people treat them. The one thing that I was not sure about was who quickly the romance blossomed. With two of the Hoofers "falling in love" relatively quickly, a possible affair and finding out one of the gentlemen was married, it took just a little away from the way the Hoofers had been portrayed in the first book.

Mary McHugh has written a humorous mystery with an emphasis on friendship. There are both photography tips from Gini and recipes from various chefs and restaurants. A nice book for cozy mystery lovers, especially if you enjoy armchair travel and great food. I am ready to head off to France with the Hoofers on their next trip… (más)